Perception of undergraduate medical students on the use of integrative and complementary practices

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing use unconvencional methods that provide holistic patient care is a global phenomenon. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal that around 80% of the population in developing countries uses Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). In Brazil, many of these pratices are recognized by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) as an integral part of the therapeutic plan for different conditions. According to the Ministry of Health, 29 of them are official and can be available to population. These facts demonstrate the importance of medical undergraduate students to qualify their knowledge, in order to have the ability to ensure comprehensive care to their future patients. Objective: To verify the knowledge of undergraduate medical students at a private college in Curitiba/PR about the use of Integrative and Complementary Practices in the health area and to know their personal perception about the importance of addressing this topic in undergraduate courses. Method: Study is quantitative and descriptive, was carried out through the application of a semi-structured questionnaire via Google Forms with students of the undergraduate course in Medicine of a private higher education institution in Curitiba/PR. Results: A total of 212 responses were obtained, from which it is possible to infer that students consider their knowledge of complementary therapies insufficient, since only 2% of participants thought they were able to guide their future patients regarding the use of alternative therapies. Despite this, 93.4% of them show interest in formally learning the theoretical bases of the subject. Conclusion: It is essential that general doctors have basic knowledge about alternative treatment modalities, both to develop a humanized doctor-patient relationship and to ensure safety in their therapeutic decisions. Thus, by acquiring scientific information and identifying possible side effects and drug interactions of these therapies, medical care becomes more qualified and comprehensive.